ANSA news

Bulgaria and Macedonia to sign friendship treaty

Tue, 01/08/2017 - 09:43

(ANSA) - TRIESTE - Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev and
his Bulgarian counterpart, Boyko Borissov, on Tuesday are to
sign in Skopje a historic friendship treaty that aims to turn
their difficult relationship into an EU-oriented cooperation.
The treaty puts a focus on cooperation in the fields of economy,
infrastructure and culture.
Each country has in the past accused the other of not
respecting the rights of its national minority living across the
border. Both countries will now say they have no territorial
claims against each other. Bulgaria and Macedonia will also
pledge to protect the rights of the other country's nationals
living on their soil and not to interfere in the other's
domestic affairs.
Borissov and Zaev will lay flowers at the tomb of the
Ottoman-era revolutionary Goce Delcev, a historic figure that
both countries revere as a national hero.
Amid criticism from opposition parties, Zaev insisted that
the treaty would not harm Macedonia in any way. In Macedonia,
the strongest objections came from the former ruling VMRO DPMNE
party, which said it will not support it in parliament.
In his address to the Bulgarian parliament, Borissov insisted
that the treaty would help make Macedonia an ally. Bulgaria's
parliament gave it unanimous support. (ANSA).

In brief

Founded in 1989, the CEI is a regional intergovernmental forum committed to supporting European integration through cooperation among its Member States.
It combines multilateral diplomacy and project management, both as donor and recipient, while bridging European macro-regions.